'I was surprised to see so many dead soldiers in the sea'

Almost 2,000 veterans and world leaders are attending the main commemoration event marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France.

Veteran, Fred, told the BBC he was working as a boiler stoker on a ship off the Normandy coast and had not realised what was going on for some time:

"I was a little bit surprised to see so many dead soldiers in the sea which was a little bit frightening."

He also described the ship being hit by a German bomber and then having to bury the dead at sea.